A New Year---Fill It Well

One of my favorite movies is "Anne of Green Gables". It is the story of a fiesty young orphan who endears herself to an elderly brother and sister and becomes the child of their hearts. Anne has her share of mishaps and disasters--all due to an insatiable curiosity about life and an irrepressible imagination. Needless to say, these characteristics place her in many a childhood scrape. A beloved teacher gives her a nugget of thought that enables Anne to face each day with hope and faith: "Tomorrow is new with no mistakes.".
I share this thought because today is the first day of a new year. A year that stretches ahead of us with unlimited possibilities. We are given a new opportunity each day to live a life filled with joy, peace and hope. Some of the days ahead may be filled with unexpected sorrows---tears may fall and our steps may falter. But we must remember this---you need never fear facing an unknown future when you face it with a known God. Each day we will face is an opportunity to know our great God as a God of love, faithfulness, truth, honor, integrity and forgiveness. No day that lies ahead will ever take us from the presence of God but, rather, it will drive us to Him as we serve Him in good times or in the midst of difficult days.
The year ahead is new--with no mistakes. It lies before us and beckons us to fill each day with all the wonder and merriment we can. May we look for ways to make life rich and full. May we rejoice in the dawn of each day and thank God for His blessings at each day's end. May we surround ourselves with those we love---drawing wisdom from those who have gone before us and treasuring the innocence of those little ones coming along behind. May we laugh more and worry less. A new year lies ahead---fresh and with no mistakes. May we fill it well.

In Grace,